Mark Shapiro Speaks About Growth Of WWE & UFC: “UFC Doesn’t Happen Without Ari Emanuel, And WWE For That Matter Doesn’t Happen Without Ari Emanuel Driving That”

Shapiro heaps praise on Ari Emanuel.

The centerpiece of the Q2 2025 TKO Earnings Call was the growth of WWE and UFC under the TKO Group Holdings umbrella.

TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro was one of the representatives on the call, and he heaped praise on TKO CEO Ari Emanuel. He cited Emanuel as a major reason for the respective growths of WWE and UFC.

“Of course, Ari Emanuel, and I have to say, UFC doesn’t happen without Ari Emanuel, and WWE for that matter doesn’t happen without Ari Emanuel driving that. He’s a significant value creator, and he spends a lot of time out there leveraging his relationships on what’s around the corner that might fit — of course, has to be treated and we have to be proven — but might fit squarely into our sports pure play model.”

WWE signed a new deal with ESPN to bring their Premium Live Events to the platform. To read what Shapiro had to say about the deal, head over to this link.

If the quote in this article is used, please credit the original source with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.